Tutorial: Save the herbs!!!

In May, it seemed so natural that I would plant all these herbs and take a snip whenever I needed them. Pshaw. I’ve needed about 1/100th of what I planted. If you’re anything like me, or even if you have just one simple basil plant you’d like to enjoy all year long, here’s an easy way to freeze them. They won’t be pretty enough to use as garnish, but all the flavor remains intact to give your dishes some zing.

Once frozen, you can throw them in sauces — jarred spaghetti sauce is a favorite around here — and make them taste homemade. Here’s how easy it is:

Snip off the leaves you want to preserve. Believe it or not this whole pile of basil only made enough for two ice cube trays of frozen herbs.

Depending on the herb, remove all stems and extra stuff. Give ‘em a light rinse and pat dry.

Chop ‘em up.

Put a teaspoon full into each section of an ice cube tray and fill with water. (Try to submerge the leaves as best you can.) Place tray in freezer.

Once the ice cubes are frozen, remove from the tray and store in Ziploc bags.

When ready to use, toss the whole ice cube into your favorite stew or dish. It will melt and leave you with beautiful flecks of fresh herbs.

You’ll thank me in the dead of winter, I promise. I feel like Martha Stewart when I yell “Don’t forget the fresh basil!” in the middle of January. Good times.

Meet Sugar Mama

Lindsay cooks from her Home on the Range in Kansas. She's won over $100K in recipe contests, but still struggles to please her picky taste-testers, ages 12, 9 and 4. She posts her kid-tested, hubby-approved recipes right here.